The Getty Villa's Formal Garden

The Getty Villa's Formal garden was inspired by the temples and bath of the Villa Papyri in Herculaneum. The pictures above and below  shows each end of the Getty Villa Roman inspired formal garden. The pool or Roman bath is surrounded by a Roman Temple like veranda. According to historians of the Getty Villa, J. Paul Getty requested to design and build a Roman garden based on the notion of "What did the Ancient Romans felt like walking around the garden?"  Well, for a Present time visitor like me, walking around these gardens definitely felt like being in a Roman Villa. The whole temple surrounding the bath was built with stencilled marble tiles in terracotta colour, the walls were painted with floral garlands, lightened by lanterns and the ceiling has golden medallions. Then in the bath and surrounding garden is filled with black statues like they were stained from the lava of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Naples during Ancient Roman times. This garden is a very authentic and well designed Ancient Roman garden. According to historians of the Villa, " J.Paul Getty built his Villa and gardens in the spirit of Ancient Roman civilization and brought the art of the Ancient Mediterranean to life."   Julies Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony will definitely feel at home in the Getty's Villa and Gardens. You will enjoy to discover it too, just like we did when stopped by.

Such romantic Statues in each end of the pool.

The formal garden's design was very symmetrical filled with Black Statues, orange trees and even the columns were measured and spaced out precisely.

The formal garden is filled with some wildflowers, some green plants and some of these Black Statues scattered around the garden.

The whole combination of the temple columns, the golden medallion ceilings, the lanterns, the Statue and the wildflowers are just perfect and beautiful!  Notice that the white columns in front are a classic Doric Columns while the columns behind are Corinthian columns.

Oh la la la!

Closer view of the Temple with the classic Doric columns, painted walls and the golden medallions in the ceilings.

A closer view with natural light inside makes the whole hallway golden!

I love the terracotta coloured and stencilled marbles on the flooring. Just a perfect and classic design! See how long the hallways? Same applies to the opposite side. Everything was measured in symmetry just like during the Ancient Roman times.

A circular sitting area with graphic tiled floor to admire the garden view and for the tired visitor.



"The beauty one can find in art
is one of the pitifully few real and lasting products of human endeavour."
J. Paul Getty.


If you wish to learn more about the history of  The Getty Villa, click my previous blog post, The Getty Villa Museum to see more Villa pictures and to watch the Video.


I wish you all a lovely weekend!
  Bonne Fete Nationale: Happy Bastille Day to all my readers in France!